I did it! I have been named to the U.S. Olympic Team!

I can’t convey how elated I am to finally achieve such a major life goal. It’s pretty incredible how far my determination and hard-work have brought me since my knee surgery last March. To think, I had a hard time simply walking last Spring, and now I am skiing better than I ever have before! Sometimes when I think about it, I just can’t believe it: I will be one of four American women competing in the Super G event at the Games on February 19th.

To take a step back, now, the following details where I’ve been and what I’ve done since my last posted update:

Just after the New Year, I traveled back to Europe. My trip started out on a positive note by winning a FIS Giant Slalom race in Bertchesgaden, Germany. The win qualified me to race in the next World Cup GS taking place in Maribor, Slovenia. Unfortunately, the race was cancelled due to poor snow conditions, (but I will have the opportunity to race in the next GS in Cortina.)

The Downhills in Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria the following week were pretty frustrating. I skied well, but there was a really long flat at the top of the course that just killed me every day. Even though the Downhills were discouraging, I did a good job at staying positive for the Super G which took place on the last day. The Super G course started at the end of the long flat, and I knew I could do well on that kind of technical hill.

I ran number three in the Super G and came down with the fastest time. I got to camp out in the winner’s circle all the way until my teammate, Kirsten, came down with bib number 19 to take the lead. I was actually kind of surprised that my time held up for so long because—while my run was good—I know that I can ski even better! At the end of the day, I ended up in seventh place, my career best World Cup finish so far. It was also my second top-10 of the season, which was an official Olympic team nomination.

Just after Bad Kleinkirchheim, we headed to St. Moritz, Switzerland. My result in the Downhill there pretty much followed suit with all of the rest of my Downhill results this season. I skied well, but I was not very fast. Strange wind patterns really messed with people’s speed on the top flat section.

The Super G the following day was a fast, straight set. Once again, I skied well and I was totally “on the edge.” I came down in the lead and watched as racer after racer missed gates and failed to finish. Since the set was so fast, we carried a lot of heat into a couple bigger turns. I was surprised that about a third of the field went too direct into these gates and went out of the course. I finished in twelfth place, just two hundredths off of another top-10. It was a disappointing day for my team since only three out of the nine of us finished, with my result being the best American finish.

This weekend I will race Downhill, Super G, and Giant Slalom in Cortina, Italy. Soon after leaving Cortina, my team will do some pre-Olympic training before the Games commence on February 9th.

Before the season started, my goal was simply to qualify for the Olympics. My results in the last few weeks, however, have proven that I am skiing well enough to shoot a lot higher than that… Since I’ve proven myself to be a top-10 contender in Super G, and on any given day any top-10 skier can potentially end up on the podium, I believe that I have just as good of a chance to be on the podium in Torino as any of my competitors do. I know I’m going to have a blast these next few weeks living my dream; I hope you’ll enjoy watching!